ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP
starring Francis Carpenter, Virginia Lee Corbin and Violet Radcliffe
MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE
December, 1917
When William Fox undertook to produce on the screen the Arabian
Nights tale of "Aladdin and the (sic) Wonderful Lamp,"
he undoubtedly recognized the fact that the idea was stupendous.
Almost any spectacular picture costs money, but "Aladdin"
calls for such a wealth of setting, costuming and casting that
hitherto producers have fought shy of it as quite prohibitive.
However, Messrs. C.M. and S.A. Franklin, the same gentlemen who
directed "Jack and the Beanstalk," have evolved a picture
that has turned fairyland and its sprites into a living reality.
And the company of kiddies that enact the roles! Why, they are
simply astonishing in their cleverness. Little Francis Carpenter
as Aladdin, and Virginia Corbin as Princiess Badr al-Budur, are
beautiful children, and as clever and talented as they are beautiful.
The performanc of Gertrude Messinger as Yasmini, lady-in-waiting
to the princess, was so full of naiveté and an inherent
keen sense of humor that she keeps the audience in a merry mood.
But all the kiddies have done exceedingly well, the quainteness
of the tale seeming to have appealed to them. Both interior and
exterior scenes are faithfully and adequately shown, one of the
most wonderful of the later being the sandstorm in the desert.
ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP
starring Francis Carpenter, Virginia Lee Corbin and Violet Radcliffe
(review source unknown)
1917
"Aladdin and the (sic) Wonderful Lamp," William Fox's beautiful photofantasy from the celebrated classic of the Arabian Nights, is being filmed this week at the Rialto Theater, and is meeting with the unbounded favor and approval of the grown-ups as well as the children.
This elaborate and costly screen version of the popular fairy
story utilizes the remarkable ability of the lovable Fox Kiddies,
Francis Carpenter and Virginia Lee Corbin, as well as others of
lesser note, and in it they display even more dramatic ability
and understanding than they did in "Jack and the Beanstalk."
Francis, as Aladdin, does some astonishingly good acting, and
he particularly commands respect for his scene in the desert where
he nearly dies of thirst and exhaustion. Little Virginia in the
title role of the Princess is seen to the utmost advantage, and
her expressions of grief and fear come very close to the real
article. Her childish grace and winning sincerity are also greatly
in her favor.